Upon my return from NOLA, the Sunday before Labor Day, I cracked open a double IPA in order to quench my craving for a hoppy beer. What I dove into was more than just hoppy, but rather a pummeling of my taste buds by that little green flower.
Avery produces a couple IPAs:
- Standard IPA uses Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade hops and comes in a 6.5% abv.
- Maharaja Imperial IPA uses Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial and Chinook and is 10.24% abv.
- duganA IPA uses Columbus, Chinook, and Centennial hops with an abv of 8.5%.
As you can see, the hop varieties are very similar with the exception of two varieties. Have sampled the Maharaja before, I can say that the Simcoe is high in alpha acids lending an increase in bitterness. The basic IPA uses Cascade which probably gives it more of a floral component. duganA however sticks with the three hops each beer had in common.
The aroma hit me like a bag of bricks as a piney, pungent, heavy hop quality rose from the glass as I poured it out. It was a hazy orange-honey color with a pluming head that was compact and left lace, but that was not my focus. The hops however were in the spotlight. I know that Chinook is piney and spicy, Columbus is pungent and dank, and Centennial is citrus fruity so all three hops were blended perfectly to give you a hint of each aroma and flavor.
The 2-Row, dark aromatic, and caramel malts were evident in the aroma doing well so support their counterpart: hops. A mild toffee note gave it an English twist is my opinion and the mouthfeel was on the medium-heavy side. It had good body and the progression of hop flavors during your sip is noticeable. Beginning with a sweeter honeyed bitterness it morphs into a dank palate coating (rather sticky) hopping, followed by a piney spicy finish with a resinous aftertaste. I’d say it earns it 93 IBUs with flying colors.
I would recommend this Double IPA as it seems to be literally double that of their standard IPA (with the exception of a few malts) and does not taste like a barley wine. It is definately hop focused and will please anyone who is craving a hop blast like I was.
ABV: 8.5%
Grade: B+